EP0965246B1 - Stereotonerweiterer - Google Patents

Stereotonerweiterer Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0965246B1
EP0965246B1 EP97910566A EP97910566A EP0965246B1 EP 0965246 B1 EP0965246 B1 EP 0965246B1 EP 97910566 A EP97910566 A EP 97910566A EP 97910566 A EP97910566 A EP 97910566A EP 0965246 B1 EP0965246 B1 EP 0965246B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
stereo
summing means
outputs
coupled
input
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Expired - Lifetime
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EP97910566A
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English (en)
French (fr)
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EP0965246A1 (de
Inventor
Richard David Clemow
Alastair Sibbald
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Central Research Laboratories Ltd
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Central Research Laboratories Ltd
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04S—STEREOPHONIC SYSTEMS 
    • H04S1/00—Two-channel systems
    • H04S1/002—Non-adaptive circuits, e.g. manually adjustable or static, for enhancing the sound image or the spatial distribution
    • H04S1/005—For headphones
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04S—STEREOPHONIC SYSTEMS 
    • H04S1/00—Two-channel systems
    • H04S1/002—Non-adaptive circuits, e.g. manually adjustable or static, for enhancing the sound image or the spatial distribution

Definitions

  • This invention relates to converting a stereo audio signal to a signal which when reproduced appears to a listener to have a more realistic sound image in three dimensions than the original stereo signal.
  • Such conversion is commonly referred to as stereo expansion, and will hereinafter be referred to as such.
  • EMI The basic patent to stereo, GB-A-394325 (EMI) describes and claims a system for producing stereo signals wherein the relative loudness of the loudspeakers is made dependent upon the direction from which the sounds arrive at the left and right input microphones.
  • the system incorporates sum and difference circuits, the outputs of which are coupled to respective filters.
  • Such sum and difference circuits have subsequently been incorporated into many different types of stereo systems, especially stereo expansion systems.
  • HRTFs Head Response Transfer Functions
  • a converter can be produced which accurately models the theoretical equations which describe the widening process.
  • US-A-5,371,799 to Lowe describes a system for e.g. a video game played on a personal computer, wherein an input audio signal is applied both to left and right HRTFs, the HRTFs being modified according to the required apparent location of the audio signal source.
  • WO8903632 discloses a known stereo expansion apparatus.
  • the invention is based on the fact that a typical pair of HRTFs (near ear and far ear) have a useful property; that is, that the far ear function is diminished in amplitude much more than the near ear function, especially at higher frequencies.
  • the listener perceives a tonal quality dominated by the near ear HRTF.
  • Both the near and far ear HRTFs can be equalised with the inverse of the near ear HRTF, thus rendering the near ear HRTF flat.
  • the ear perceives a tonal quality dominated by the near ear HRTF, which is flat.
  • the stereo expander has the benefits of an apparently flat response, i.e. no tonal change, but also has the full localisation accuracy.
  • a flat response filter is of course a straight-through connection; no filtering is actually required.
  • the present invention provides stereo expansion apparatus comprising first and second inputs for receiving respective left and right stereo signals, the first input being coupled through a first channel which does not significantly alter the frequency characteristics of the stereo signal to a first summing means and the first input being coupled, via a filter representing a far ear HRTF for a listener, to a second summing means, and the second input being coupled through a second channel which does not significantly alter the frequency characteristics of the stereo signal to said second summing means, and, via a filter representing a far ear HRTF for a listener, to the first summing means, the outputs of the summing means providing stereo expanded signals.
  • the apparatus in accordance with the invention can be used either to generate binaural signals suitable for headphone listening, or can be fed into a crosstalk canceller, such as that described in our copending application WO-A-9515069 in order to generate signals suitable for loudspeaker reproduction.
  • an equaliser is provided to compensate for any average deviation.
  • an equaliser is provided which has a characteristic which equalises both left and right channels either before or after stereo expansion.
  • HRTF or head related transfer function is intended to mean a function representing the frequency response of a path between a source of sound and the ear of the listener, either the ear nearer the sound (near HRTF) or the ear further from the sound (far HRTF).
  • HRTFs may be obtained by measurements on a real human head equipped with suitable microphones; alternatively they may be obtained using an artificial head means, which may be as is common a precise model of a human head and torso with microphones in the ear structures; alternatively it may be something far less precise, for example a block or sheet of wood positioned between a pair of spaced apart microphones; it might even be an electrical synthesis circuit or system which creates such functions.
  • FIG. 1 there is shown stereo expansion apparatus comprising first and second inputs 2,4 for LEFT and RIGHT stereo input signals.
  • the left input is connected through a first channel 6 to a first summing circuit 8.
  • First channel 6 is shown as a direct connection and has a flat frequency response, i.e., it produces no significant change to the frequency characteristics of the left stereo signal. It may however include delay circuits and attenuator circuits.
  • Input 2 is also coupled via a filter 10 to a second summing circuit 12.
  • Filter 10 represents the far ear HRTF (Head Related Transfer Function) associated with the position of each "virtual source", and the HRTF incorporates the time delays and diffraction effects caused by the presence of the listener's head.
  • HRTF Head Related Transfer Function
  • Second input 4 is connected through a second channel 14, with similar characteristics to that of channel 6, to a second input of second summing circuit 12.
  • Input 4 is also connected through a filter 16, which also represents a far ear HRTF function associated with the position of each "virtual source", to a second input of first summing circuit 8.
  • the outputs of summing circuits 8, 12 provide left and right binaural outputs to stereo headphones.
  • the implementation of the far ear HRTF can be analogue (i.e. a filter circuit) or digital (e.g. a FIR filter).
  • the far ear HRTF includes a time-delay which represents an interaural time-delay for the virtual source angle.
  • the ADD function can be digital (i.e. an accumulator) or analogue (e.g. an operational amplifier circuit). It will be understood in a practical application, e.g. a video game on a personal computer, there may be a stored library of HRTFs for various positions of virtual angles, and these will be switched into the circuit of Figure 1 depending on the sound position it is desired represent.
  • FIG 2 shows a second embodiment of the invention suitable for use with loudspeakers. Similar parts to those of Figure 1 are represented with the same reference numerals.
  • the outputs of summing circuits 8, 12 are coupled to a crosstalk cancellation circuit 20.
  • This provides in known manner (see for example published International Patent Application No. WO A-95150679 compensation for signals transmitted from loudspeakers so that the binaural effect is preserved at the listener's head, and the outputs from the left and right loudspeakers do not create crosstalk which destroys the binaural effect.
  • One common method of creating a form of stereo recording is to "panpot" one or more mono sources, which means that the stereo effects are derived by panning each mono source between the left and right channels, thus creating relative amplitude differences.
  • This method may be employed for example in a video game for a PC, where a library of mono sounds are stored, and it is desired to generate a stereo composite. It is found that such a stereo signal, when fed into the embodiments of Fig.s 1 and 2, is tonally correct when panning hard to either side, but that there is a tonal inaccuracy which gradually increases as the source is panned into the centre (mono) position.
  • This effect may be understood as follows.
  • the secondary signals are delayed with respect to the primary signals by about 0.227 ms, because of the extra distance they must travel around the head. Consequently, when the primary and secondary sound-waves add together, at certain periodically recurring frequencies there will be destructive and constructive interference, causing comb-filtering, with the first minimum at around 2.2 kHz.
  • a mono signal is played through a pair of stereo loudspeakers to a listener in the usual listening position (forming an equilateral triangle with the loudspeakers), the signal is comb-filtered by acoustic interference.
  • the sound is emitted by only one of the two loudspeakers, and so there is no wave addition, and so there is no comb-filtering effect.
  • equalisation is intended to mean providing a transfer function which compensates for the anticipated comb-filtering effect so as to produce a signal for the listener which is not tonally distorted. This applies to both binaural and transaural arrangements.
  • equalisation can be designed in any of the following three ways:
  • Figures 4 to 6 show what happens when a mono signal is expanded to stereo by panpotting. Each graph shows a different panpot ratio.
  • Figure 4 shows a graph with hard panning fully to one side.
  • Figure 5 shows a graph illustrating panning to the centre (mono).
  • Figure 6 shows a graph illustrating an intermediate position, roughly half way between these extremes.
  • the graphs in Figures 4, 5 and 6 represent the ratio of spectra produced by an expander system of the present invention to spectra produced by a stereo signal produced by panpotting. It is this ratio which is important, as it represents the impression of tonal deviations from a conventional stereo signal, to which a listener is accustomed. Thus by introducing equalisation to compensate for the function shown in Figures 4 to 6, one can revert to "stereo listening quality" but with three dimensional impressions.
  • Figure 4 is virtually flat, showing that when the source is hard panned all the way to one side, the expander sounds exactly tonally the same as stereo, which is acceptable for most purposes.
  • an equaliser is provided to compensate for the average deviation.
  • An equaliser is provided which has a characteristic the inverse of Figure 6 to equalise both left and right channels (either before or after stereo expansion in accordance with the invention), then the expander will be correct at the Figure 6 panpot position, and will be in error at either of the two extremes.
  • FIG 3 shows a third embodiment of the invention embodying the above considerations. Similar parts to those of Figure 1 are denoted by similar reference numerals.
  • the circuit includes equaliser circuits 30, 32 each having comb-filtering compensation transfer functions (the inverse of Figure 6) coupled between inputs 2 and 4 and channels 6 and 14.
  • the outputs of summing circuits 8, 12 are applied to stereo headphones.
  • circuits 30, 32 are placed at the outputs of summing circuits 8, 12.
  • Figures 7 and 8 show the FAR ear and NEAR ear HRTFs respectively for 80 degrees. It may be observed that the FAR ear function falls off markedly with frequency, from about 1kHz. In the present invention, the NEAR ear HRTF is of course not used, as it is replaced by a flat response.
  • the HRTFs employed in the circuits shown will be selected from a store containing a library of HRTFs, representing different apparent angles of incident sound at the ear of a listener, depending on what angle of incident sound has to be represented.
  • Figure 9 is shown representations of HRTFs for various listening angles.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Stereophonic System (AREA)

Claims (7)

  1. Stereoton-Erweiterungs-Vorrichtung (Stereo-Expander) umfassend erste und zweite Eingänge (2, 4) zum Empfang entsprechender linker und rechter Stereosignale, wobei der erste Eingang (2) über einen ersten Kanal (6), welcher die Frequenz-Charakteristik des Stereosignals nicht wesentlich ändert, mit einem ersten Summiermittel (8) verbunden ist, und wobei der erste Eingang (2) über ein Filter, das eine Kopf-bezogene Transfer-Funktion HRTF (10) des entfernteren Ohrs representiert, mit einem zweiten Summiermittel (12) verbunden ist, und wobei der zweite Eingang (4) über einen zweiten Kanal (14), welcher die Frequenz-Charakteristik des Stereosignals nicht wesentlich ändert, mit dem zweiten Summiermittel (12), und über ein Filter, das eine HRTF (16) des entfernteren Ohrs representiert, mit dem ersten Summiermittel (8) verbunden ist, wobei die Ausgänge der Summiermittel erweiterte Stereoton-Signale ausgeben.
  2. Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 1, wobei die Ausgänge der ersten und zweiten Summiermittel zur Verbindung mit Kopfhörern vorgesehen sind.
  3. Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 1, wobei die Ausgänge der ersten und zweiten Summiermittel mit Übersprech-Löschungs-Mitteln (20) verbunden sind, deren Ausgänge so angepasst sind, dass sie an linke und rechte Lautsprecher angeschlossen werden können.
  4. Vorrichtung nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche, wobei Entzerrer-Mittel (Equalizer) (30, 32) vorgesehen sind, zum Kompensieren einer Transfer-Funktion, die auftritt durch die Verwendung von Panorama-Einstellung ("pan-potting") zur Ableitung eines Stereo-Eingangssignals aus einem Mono-Signal, um eine einem nicht erweiterten Stereosignal gleichende Tonqualität zu erzeugen.
  5. Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 4 umfassend Entzerrer-Schaltungen (30, 32), die zwischen die ersten und zweiten Eingänge (2, 4) und die ersten und zweiten Kanäle (6, 14) geschaltet sind.
  6. Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 4 umfassend Entzerrer-Schaltungen (30, 32), die zwischen die ersten und zweiten Eingänge (2, 4) und die Ausgänge der Summiermittel geschaltet sind.
  7. Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 1, wobei der erste Kanal (2) eine Laufzeitschaltung (Delay) und eine Dämpfungsglied-Schaltung umfasst.
EP97910566A 1996-11-01 1997-11-03 Stereotonerweiterer Expired - Lifetime EP0965246B1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GBGB9622773.1A GB9622773D0 (en) 1996-11-01 1996-11-01 Stereo sound expander
GB9622773 1996-11-01
PCT/GB1997/003020 WO1998020707A1 (en) 1996-11-01 1997-11-03 Stereo sound expander

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0965246A1 EP0965246A1 (de) 1999-12-22
EP0965246B1 true EP0965246B1 (de) 2002-12-04

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EP97910566A Expired - Lifetime EP0965246B1 (de) 1996-11-01 1997-11-03 Stereotonerweiterer

Country Status (7)

Country Link
US (1) US6614910B1 (de)
EP (1) EP0965246B1 (de)
JP (1) JP2001507879A (de)
CA (1) CA2271659A1 (de)
DE (1) DE69717678T2 (de)
GB (1) GB9622773D0 (de)
WO (1) WO1998020707A1 (de)

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GB2340005B (en) * 1998-07-24 2003-03-19 Central Research Lab Ltd A method of processing a plural channel audio signal
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US7684577B2 (en) * 2001-05-28 2010-03-23 Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha Vehicle-mounted stereophonic sound field reproducer
FI118370B (fi) * 2002-11-22 2007-10-15 Nokia Corp Stereolaajennusverkon ulostulon ekvalisointi
US7232986B2 (en) * 2004-02-17 2007-06-19 Smart Technologies Inc. Apparatus for detecting a pointer within a region of interest
EP1752017A4 (de) * 2004-06-04 2015-08-19 Samsung Electronics Co Ltd Vorrichtung und verfahren zur wiedergabe von breit-stereoton
KR100677119B1 (ko) 2004-06-04 2007-02-02 삼성전자주식회사 와이드 스테레오 재생 방법 및 그 장치
US7634092B2 (en) * 2004-10-14 2009-12-15 Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation Head related transfer functions for panned stereo audio content
US7991176B2 (en) * 2004-11-29 2011-08-02 Nokia Corporation Stereo widening network for two loudspeakers
US7817812B2 (en) * 2005-05-31 2010-10-19 Polk Audio, Inc. Compact audio reproduction system with large perceived acoustic size and image
KR100739776B1 (ko) 2005-09-22 2007-07-13 삼성전자주식회사 입체 음향 생성 방법 및 장치
US8644386B2 (en) * 2005-09-22 2014-02-04 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Method of estimating disparity vector, and method and apparatus for encoding and decoding multi-view moving picture using the disparity vector estimation method
NL1032538C2 (nl) * 2005-09-22 2008-10-02 Samsung Electronics Co Ltd Apparaat en werkwijze voor het reproduceren van virtueel geluid van twee kanalen.
US8243967B2 (en) * 2005-11-14 2012-08-14 Nokia Corporation Hand-held electronic device
US8335330B2 (en) * 2006-08-22 2012-12-18 Fundacio Barcelona Media Universitat Pompeu Fabra Methods and devices for audio upmixing
US9031242B2 (en) 2007-11-06 2015-05-12 Starkey Laboratories, Inc. Simulated surround sound hearing aid fitting system
US8144902B2 (en) * 2007-11-27 2012-03-27 Microsoft Corporation Stereo image widening
US20090324002A1 (en) * 2008-06-27 2009-12-31 Nokia Corporation Method and Apparatus with Display and Speaker
CN102438199A (zh) * 2011-09-06 2012-05-02 深圳东原电子有限公司 一种虚拟环绕声扩大听音区的方法
US9706327B2 (en) 2013-05-02 2017-07-11 Dirac Research Ab Audio decoder configured to convert audio input channels for headphone listening
US9338552B2 (en) 2014-05-09 2016-05-10 Trifield Ip, Llc Coinciding low and high frequency localization panning
US20170195794A1 (en) * 2015-11-09 2017-07-06 Light Speed Aviation, Inc. Wireless aviation headset
US10225657B2 (en) * 2016-01-18 2019-03-05 Boomcloud 360, Inc. Subband spatial and crosstalk cancellation for audio reproduction
EP3780653A1 (de) * 2016-01-18 2021-02-17 Boomcloud 360, Inc. Räumliche und nebensprechunterdrückung bei einem teilband zur audiowiedergabe
US10764704B2 (en) 2018-03-22 2020-09-01 Boomcloud 360, Inc. Multi-channel subband spatial processing for loudspeakers
US10841728B1 (en) 2019-10-10 2020-11-17 Boomcloud 360, Inc. Multi-channel crosstalk processing
CN113473352B (zh) * 2021-07-06 2023-06-20 北京达佳互联信息技术有限公司 双声道音频后处理的方法和装置

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Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO1998020707A1 (en) 1998-05-14
DE69717678T2 (de) 2003-09-18
DE69717678D1 (de) 2003-01-16
CA2271659A1 (en) 1998-05-14
US6614910B1 (en) 2003-09-02
JP2001507879A (ja) 2001-06-12
GB9622773D0 (en) 1997-01-08
EP0965246A1 (de) 1999-12-22

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